


Sense&Sensibility

by vogue91



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkwardness, Dating, F/M, Fluff, Introspection, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 12:19:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13189959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vogue91/pseuds/vogue91
Summary: “I love you, Nymphadora Tonks. Even though you’re a really awful cook.”“I love you, Remus Lupin. Even though you’re a werewolf.”





	Sense&Sensibility

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts: French fries, Paper cup with straw

“Mom, do you think it’s going to be a problem if the cake is... very well done?” Tonks asked her mother. Andromeda raised her eyes, worried about what her daughter could’ve meant with ‘very well done’.

“Dora, my child, how long did you leave it in the oven?” she asked, fearing the answer.

“Uh... let’s say I may have forgotten it. And left it in one hour more than necessary.” Tonks said, lowering her voice and reaching her mother. When the latter saw her, she couldn’t help but smile. The girl had her face stained with chocolate, her hands dirty and her hair of an off grey that showed her demoralization. “I’m a disaster.” she complained, collapsing heavily on the couch.

They were at the girl’s flat in London, and her mother had joined her when she’d heard Dora was trying to cook for a picnic she and Remus had programmed.

Andromeda hadn’t realized until now how good an idea was going there to help her.

She took the cake out of the oven and laughed, gently.

“I supposed we should throw that away.” Tonks murmured, a little annoyed by her mother’s laugh.

“My child, we both know you have a lot of good qualities... but as of cooking skills...” Andromeda looked for the right word not to offend her daughter, but the latter completed the sentence in her stead.

“I’m in short supply, am I not?” she said, shrugging. She knew all too well she was awful in the kitchen. And she was starting to believe that all that dedication was completely useless, seeing the outcome. And yet she wanted to do something decent, for once, something to impress Remus, to lower the barriers the man had imposed.

She sighed. Something told her that it would’ve taken more a cake, no matter the level of burnt, to distract Remus from the idea of being a monster.

It had been months now, months where she had thought she finally had overcome all of the man’s reticence. But everytime she got closer, she could still see fear on his face, and Tonks knew well than in Remus’ mind wandered the worst of images, the worst of nightmares.

She sighed again, trying not to think about it. She wanted to take advantage of that little time he conceded the best she could, and she forbade herself to make her mind go back to that labyrinth of doubts, at least for the next few hours.

After all, like she had pointed out often, until the sun shone brightly in the sky, she would’ve been safe.

 

~

 

“Oh, Nymphadora, don’t you think this is a little over-the-top? We’re just having a picnic.” Remus told her, pretending to be exasperated, but keeping smiling. The girl frowned.

“Don’t call me Nymphadora!” she protested. “And no, it’s not. I wanted to do something nice, you and I barely see each other.” she remarked, and he couldn’t help but lower his eyes and blush.

“Dora, please. You know how I see it, I...” the girl didn’t let him finish. She leaned toward him, shutting him up with a kiss that Remus couldn’t refuse. When they parted, he was even more flushed.

“I’ll let you know, you won’t convince me with these miserable tricks.” he declared, and she laughed.

“You can’t deny though that they have a certain effect.” she said, kindly. She poured some pumpkin juice and gave it to him. “Forgive me, I’ve left the crystal glasses at home, I’m afraid we’ve got to settle for paper cups.” she joked. Remus took a cup with a half-smile, than he brushed the metamorphomagus’ face with his fingers.

“Don’t tell me I’m not even entitled to a straw.” he mocked her; Tonks, still laughing, gave it to him.

“You underestimate me, Remus Lupin.”

The werewolf tastes a bit of roast beef, and he couldn’t help but grimace.

“Erm... or maybe I overestimate you.” he mildly mocked her. Tonks pretended to be annoyed and glared at him, but the man thought it was right about time for a little payback; he kissed her, deeper than before, searching in that single kiss every emotion he felt, every little feeling the girl was able to give to him. He wasn’t good with words, and he trusted only in actions when the air between them became unbreathable, when he felt the weight of his nature flying away, hunted down by the smiles of the woman he loved.

“To what do I owe all this display of affection?” she whispered, glad for once to get something out of him.

“To the fact that you definitely taste better than the roast beef.” he joked, barely avoiding the girl’s following slap.

“I’m sorry, you know I’m an awful cook. You’ve got to have me just the way I am.” Remus raised his eyes.

“As if your lack of cooking skills was the major obstacle in our relationship.” he said, somewhere between sad and exasperated. Tonks nodded vigorously.

“You know how I feel about it. To me, that’s it.” she said, hoping that Remus wasn’t feeling like starting yet another one argument explaining one by one all the reasons why it was incredibly dangerous to date a werewolf; however, the only answer she got was a sigh.

Remus knew how much she hated that kind of discussions. But he couldn’t let it go each time, pretending that ignoring a problem would’ve made it disappear, because it was impossible for it to happen.

Not until the moon would’ve disappeared from the sky, at least.

But he avoided commenting on her last words, believing her right: they didn’t spend much time together, and using up that time without having to think about anything unpleasant, without black clouds hovering over them, would’ve been good for both.

Or at least, he would’ve postponed any argument to the day after.

“Okay, fine, _Tonks_ ” he conceded. “Today you win. But tomorrow...”

“Tomorrow’s another day.” she replied, and quickly sneaked a fry into his mouth. “So, are these a failure too?” the man chewed the fry accurately, before staring into the girl’s eyes.

“Dora... I love you.” he said.

“Oh come on, they can’t be that bad, it doesn’t really take much to fry stuff!” she exclaimed, than stared at him, bedazzled. “Did you just say you love me?” she murmured. He didn’t say anything, but nodded.

“I love you, Nymphadora Tonks. Even though you’re a really awful cook.” she smiled, and it was her time to blush.

“I love you, Remus Lupin. Even though you’re a werewolf.” she mocked him. The man shook his head and hugged her, kissing her forehead.

They had time. Time to understand what was the right thing to do, time to tear down any wall. Time to learn to know each other, and to find out that they couldn’t live anymore one without the other.

Remus smiled. Dora had time to learn to cook in at least a decent way.

And he had time to understand that he loved more than he feared his own nature. And the happy gaze on the face of the girl leant over his chest, was a sign that that time wasn’t far from coming.


End file.
